Overview
- Taobao Flash Sale says it will not build warehouses or open stores, instead authorizing the brand to merchants and setting service standards such as round-the-clock operations.
- The first wave opens about 34 slots for flagship or standard “flash-warehouse” sites with roughly 10,000 SKUs, with plans to expand to more than 200 cities.
- The platform will provide traffic, assortment guidance, supply chain and logistics support, plus digital systems for selection, inventory, and operations.
- Alibaba plans to invest 2 billion yuan over the next year to help partners upgrade facilities, improve product quality, strengthen delivery, and enhance digitization, including 1688-backed supply-chain support and low-interest financing.
- Company data cited by media reports highlight rapid growth for Taobao Flash Sale, and some reports say Cainiao will provide hour-level fulfillment in select areas.